Vilnius 'Žalgiris' signed contracts with five academy youth players

2024-09-04 15:10 © E. Žaldario

Five players from the "Žalgiris" academy signed professional contracts. The young players linked their immediate future with the Vilnius club: 19-year-old defender Arminas Soja, 18-year-old midfielder Ugnius Simonavičius, and 17-year-olds midfielder Danielius Velička, forward Vakaris Berenta, and defender Vytis Pavilonis.

All five players trained with the men's team before the season, and this year represented the "Žalgiris" B and U-18 teams. A few of them were recently registered for the main team’s matches for the first time.

V. Pavilonis, U. Simonavičius, D. Velička, and V. Berenta fought for the titles of Elitinės jaunių lygos champions and a spot in the UEFA Youth League tournament with the U-18 team in the 2023-2024 youth football season. U. Simonavičius scored the golden goal in the decisive match, and V. Pavilonis was named the league's best defender.

"We are very pleased that more and more players from the academy, who grew up in Vilnius with the green-and-white colors, are knocking on the main team’s door,” said club director Vilma Venslovaitienė. "We are grateful to their coaches and parents for guiding them on this path and that they chose to start their professional careers with their hometown team.”

A. Soja began his journey in the "Žalgiris" academy at the age of 7, making his debut in men's football in 2021 within the C team.

U. Simonavičius has been a "Žalgiris" player since he was 10, playing his first official match among adults in 2022.

D. Velička and V. Pavilonis went through all the academy levels from the age of 5, while their peer forward V. Berenta joined the academy at 11 years old. All three made their debut in men's football this year within the B team.